Hello. I’m an absolute beginner at Japanese trying to teach myself, and after memorizing my kana I decided to try to get a good foundation of kanji and vocabulary before beginning grammar, as Tofugu suggests. I’ve been using the KKLC which I like so far, but I’m struggling with the Graded Reading sets published as companions to the main course. The author of the book suggests using these readings to help remember and understand the kanji, but the problem is that while looking at the sentences the kanji are basically the only parts I can decipher. It’s obvious to me now that these readings are not meant for total beginners of the language and I’m wondering how I can get to the point where I can comprehend the grammar and kana vocabulary of even just these early sentences. I’m looking into getting Genki and I want to know if that textbook will teach me what I need to know for these readings and at what point I can expect to be able to start deciphering these sentences. I want to keep learning kanji every day, but I don’t want to get too far ahead before I can get any use from the graded readings. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
1 comment
>try to get a good foundation of kanji and vocabulary before beginning grammar, as Tofugu suggests
In my opinion, this is poor advice from Tofugu. Without grammar, you’re learning kanji and vocabulary in a context-less vacuum, where words have no real meaning because you have no idea how they fit together. There is no reason not to start learning grammar now.
​
>It’s obvious to me now that these readings are not meant for total beginners of the language
Well, they sorta are. As the author of KKLC explains in his [study guide](https://keystojapanese.com/how-to-study/) (which you should read, top to bottom), he’s hoping that you’ll “absorb grammar patterns through repeated exposure.” There is a grammar gloss at the end of the graded reader where you can look up the grammar points used in the readings to get an idea of what they mean, and they’re cross-referenced to multiple grammar sources (including Genki and A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar) so that you can learn about these grammar points in more detail, if necessary.
But honestly I don’t think this is a good way to learn grammar. I think it’s better to get a basic foundation first from a structured course of some kind.
​
>I’m looking into getting Genki and I want to know if that textbook will teach me what I need to know for these readings and at what point I can expect to be able to start deciphering these sentences.
Genki is fine; any textbook is fine, they all teach the same stuff. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Genki for self study, and I prefer [*Japanese the Manga Way*](https://www.tofugu.com/reviews/japanese-the-manga-way/) by Wayne P. Lammers, which is short, practical, inexpensive, and focuses solely on grammar, supplemented later with [A Dictionary of Japanese Grammar](https://www.tofugu.com/reviews/dictionary-of-basic-japanese-grammar/).